The vice president spoke in Waterloo, Iowa, as part of a two-day swing that will also put him in Dubuque, Iowa, on Wednesday. The campaign has billed it as part of a "Strengthening the Middle Class" tour.

A local United Auto Workers headquarters hosted Biden and over 400 people. One person in attendance: David Axelrod, squirreled away behind the scenes – a rare sighting of the Obama campaign senior strategist at a Biden event.

The vice president repeatedly used a recent Washington Post story to pummel Romney. The Friday report said Bain Capital - Romney's former private equity firm – owned companies that were "pioneers" in outsourcing U.S. jobs to countries like China and India.

Biden also used Romney's own words against him.

Citing recent speeches in the Ohio cities of Cincinnati and Toledo, Biden said: "He said his experience as a businessman is what gives him a great understanding of what it takes to bring jobs back to the United States of America. That's his premise."

Biden continued: "[Romney] said, that outsourcers have, quote, 'Been able to put American businesses out of business and kill American jobs.' He went on to say if he were president, he was going to end that outsourcing. That's what he tells you."

"There's a huge disconnect between what he says, and what he means, and what he's done."

Claiming that Bain previously helped companies like Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard "outsource their manufacturing from the United States of America," Biden added, "This is totally consistent with Mitt Romney's economic policies."

The Obama campaign's focus on Bain has had mixed success. Some supporters have said it helps to undermine Romney's highlighting of his time in the private sector. Yet others have accused the president of attacking free enterprise – a claim the president denies.

What's clear is that the Obama campaign is not backing down from using Romney's tenure at Bain for political purposes. Also Tuesday, the campaign released new television ads – for Iowa, Virginia and Ohio - playing up the Washington Post report.

On Tuesday, Obama told supporters in Atlanta, Georgia, "We don't need somebody who's a pioneer in offshoring or outsourcing. We need a president in the White House who's going to, every single day, be fighting to bring jobs back to the United States, do some in-sourcing."

The Romney campaign has cried foul.

Responding to the Washington Post report last week, Romney's campaign called the article a "fundamentally flawed story," arguing it fails to point out the difference between "domestic outsourcing versus offshoring."

Outsourcing, the campaign argued, is a common practice and can occur domestically without sending jobs overseas. Offshoring, on the other hand, involves shifting work out of house and overseas.

And on Tuesday, the Romney campaign lashed out with its own assertion about how the president's policies have benefited foreign companies.

"Vice President Biden today doubled down on the Obama campaign's same misleading attacks in an effort to distract voters from the President's disastrous economic record," campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul wrote in a response to reporters. "President Obama thinks that economic development means sending billions of taxpayer dollars to foreign-owned companies and rewarding donors with money from his failed stimulus program."

"President Obama has failed to meet his own standard for lowering unemployment because he has no idea what it takes to get our economy moving again. On Day One, Mitt Romney will take action to jumpstart our economy and give job creators the incentives they need to thrive here in America."

Yet the Obama campaign is not backing down from discussing Romney's business experience – and even his vast wealth.

"When the president encouraged young people to get manufacturing jobs [Romney] said [the president was] out of touch," Biden told the Waterloo rally. "Out of touch? A prospective president with a Swiss bank account and retirement investments in the Cayman Islands?"

"Did you ever think you'd be choosing between two people running for president one of whom had a Swiss bank account?"

soundoff(42 Responses)

Obama 2012 - BEND Forward America, NOT a third term of BUSH's years of FAILURE

Criticizing outsourcing of jobs to China is "an attack on free enterprise".
To talk about a company that bankrupts other companies leaving many jobless is a "distraction".
What does Rmoney want to talk about – his tax returns?

June 26, 2012 03:15 pm at 3:15 pm |

Marine1968

Far past time for Joe Biden to get thrown out of office. Blaming Romney for outsourcing jobs to India, China? Look around Walmart and Target sometime, Joe. Nearly everything sold in the USA is made overseas because the american consumer demands low-priced goods. Can't blame Mitt for that. I'll bet that Joe's shoes, socks, underwear, watch, and tie were made in China. If he took off everything he is wearing that is made overseas, he would be naked. What a phony.

June 26, 2012 03:24 pm at 3:24 pm |

just sayin

only jobs obama and biden know how to create are government union jobs. any monkey off the street can do that.

Can't wait for Mitt Romney's epic speech "I May or May Not Have a Dream, Depending On Whom I'm Speaking To or Who is Speaking for Me."

June 26, 2012 03:30 pm at 3:30 pm |

DB in AR

I have a friend who had his job outsourced to "India" and another person I know had their job "offshored" to China. If you ask either and they will just tell you their jobs were "shipped overseas". They don't really know or care about there being a distinction between the two. Somebody ask a Romney stooge to explain the difference again. No matter how you describe running a company and putting people out of work while sending the jobs overseas and lining the corporation pockets with the former employees pension funds and healthcare benefits still turns out to be the same thing. Romney is trying to explain the difference kicking in the privates or kneeing you in the groin.

June 26, 2012 03:32 pm at 3:32 pm |

Leonmoses

Re: 'Biden continued: "[Romney] said, that outsourcers have, quote, 'Been able to put American businesses out of business and kill American jobs.' He went on to say if he were president, he was going to end that outsourcing. That's what he tells you." ' I am reminded of a story told a long time ago concerning a snake that wanted deperately to get across to the other side of a river. A man came along, and the snake asked him to carry him across the river to the other side. The man said emphatically " NO!!...when we get to the other side you will bite me and I will die " The sanke then promised that if he were to be carried over to the other side he would " Definitely not bite him ! " The amn relented, and carried the snake over to the other side,abd when he reached the other side, the snake bit the man. The man cried out " YOU PROMISED you would not do that !" The snake then said " I could not help it...it is my NATURE and I could not resist !" The United states of America is ONE BIG CORPORATION, and a Raider simply cannot resist his impulses to RAID!

June 26, 2012 03:32 pm at 3:32 pm |

anthony78

Swiss Bank account. Cayman Islands. Wow.. Romney either doesn't have any faith in the banking system of the good ol US of A (that he claims to love so much, despite dodging the vietnam draft) or he has something to HIDE.

His record SHOWS his actions ARE that of outsourcing/offshoring (however the Republicans want to try and twist words to confuse their dumb base).

Either way, glad to see Vice President Biden throwing some punches.

June 26, 2012 03:33 pm at 3:33 pm |

The Real Tom Paine

-Marine1968

Far past time for Joe Biden to get thrown out of office. Blaming Romney for outsourcing jobs to India, China? Look around Walmart and Target sometime, Joe. Nearly everything sold in the USA is made overseas because the american consumer demands low-priced goods. Can't blame Mitt for that. I'll bet that Joe's shoes, socks, underwear, watch, and tie were made in China. If he took off everything he is wearing that is made overseas, he would be naked. What a phony.
**************************
No, the American consumer demands well-made goods: it was the short-sighted- decisions by people like Romney that sent those jobs overseas in the first place. Well, they replaced those well-made goods with the low-priced, low-quality garbage that Wal-Mart and Target sell and make billions off of because said companies forced local retailers out of business. Is Biden a phoney for pointing out Romney's complicity in this trend? Nope, but Romney is a phoney for pretending to give a damn about the very people whose incomes he helped to stagnate over the last 3 decades while he fussed about the car elevators in his various homes. Americans, if given a choice, will take well-made domestically made things over cheap imports, but, thanks to Mitt and his ilk, there is not much of a choice anymore, is there?

Romney and the superpac paid for by money from gambling business from Macu.... How about that for incentive to keep jobs in America? Romney has been schooled on what to say and Biden points out what he does.....no wonder they don't like Joe!

June 26, 2012 03:42 pm at 3:42 pm |

Edjoe

I had the chance to be at Biden's speech today and it was a great one. He also talked about Romney outsourcing government jobs in Massachusetts while Governor by a privatizing contract that offshored them to India.

June 26, 2012 03:42 pm at 3:42 pm |

Obama 2012 - BEND Forward America, take another 4 long years of OBAMA FAILURE

Truly hilarious... Obama and Carzy Joe will be the FIRST in American history that will have FEWER jobs in this country FOUR YEARS after they took office than when they took office. And THESE fools are out there criticising others? BWAHAHAHA!!!!

Obama/Biden, the ONLY PROVEN JOB DESTROYERS. Given four more years, they will destroy even more jobs.

June 26, 2012 03:45 pm at 3:45 pm |

The Real Tom Paine

-California

FACT: Obama gives American jobs to illegals.
**************************************
REAL FACT: Only conservatives believe that tripe. Meanwhile, millions of manufacturing jobs lost over 3 decades because of rightie wish lists on the economy that have left the middle class with stagnant incomes. THAT IS A REAL FACT.

June 26, 2012 03:47 pm at 3:47 pm |

ghags17

How is that any different then this administration? We get solar panels cheaper in China and making it harder for comapnies like SOLYNDRA to stay open. We force GIBSON to buy finished products from INDIA. IT positions are still being shipped out to INDIA, Russia , China . The sad part is these are government IT projects won by IBM. TCS, Satyam, Oracle, HP, Raytheon, Microsoft GE list goes on so VP Biden please refrain from throwing stones while you and this administration live in a GLASS Bubble

June 26, 2012 03:48 pm at 3:48 pm |

The Real Tom Paine

-Obama 2012 – BEND Forward America, take another 4 long years of OBAMA FAILURE

Truly hilarious... Obama and Carzy Joe will be the FIRST in American history that will have FEWER jobs in this country FOUR YEARS after they took office than when they took office. And THESE fools are out there criticising others? BWAHAHAHA!!!!

Obama/Biden, the ONLY PROVEN JOB DESTROYERS. Given four more years, they will destroy even more jobs.
*****************************************************************
Really? I guess you are conceding that Romney will lose. If your boy wins, all we have are jobs at WalMart.

June 26, 2012 03:49 pm at 3:49 pm |

anthony78

California
FACT: Obama gives American jobs to illegals.(who spend it here in the US)
FACT: ROMNEY gives American jobs to the Chinese and Indian (who reinvest it in China and India)

Just saying, you lost any creditabity with your last sentance. Or you can tell america how to start a government union. Like Mit you must be aa liar also.

June 26, 2012 03:53 pm at 3:53 pm |

Ann

No More giving jobs away over seas!!!! The US people need jobs here in the US. and it's about time the stop doing this!!!!!!!!! You take care of your own people first and put them on their feet and they in turn will help others....

June 26, 2012 03:53 pm at 3:53 pm |

Rudy NYC

Okay, I like the headline. It's time to play "Whack A Lie". Conservatives are about to throw the whole forest of lies and misconceptions about Romney and Obama at us on this thread.

June 26, 2012 03:56 pm at 3:56 pm |

Deb in MT

Last Sunday's "Doonesbury" clarified the difference between running a country and running an equity capital firm very succinctly: (As near as I can remember it)

Man: Mr. Romney, we lost 10,000 jobs, but we made $100 million.
Romney: That's terrific!

Romney just has a whole different mindset from most of us, and it's no surprise he is unable to connect.

June 26, 2012 03:58 pm at 3:58 pm |

Eddie The Barber

Right on Joe – tell it like it is.

June 26, 2012 03:58 pm at 3:58 pm |

Dave

Give me a break! Romney has created jobs in the USA. And, even if he only created jobs in India and China, it would be more than our current President.

June 26, 2012 04:05 pm at 4:05 pm |

Dave

To Anthony78: Obama used billions of US taxpayer dollars to bail out GM. Ironically, it STILL went bankrupt!!! Check the facts my friend.

June 26, 2012 04:07 pm at 4:07 pm |

Andrew

Romney's entire strategy is to continue to call Obama a failure. When in reality Obama stopped the bleeding of the worst recession since the Great Depression. We have had 28 straight months of Job Growth. When Obama took office we were losing 800,000 jobs a month (unless you want to blame that on Obama too). When Obama took office the stock market was nearly at 6,000. It has climbed all the way back up to ~13,000. Obama has gotten us out of Iraq and almost out of Afganhistan.

Do people seriously not remember how bad things were in 2008? It was the worst I can remember (only 27 years old), and we are doing WAY WAY better now.